TE Delanie Walker signs four-year deal with Titans

In what turned out to be his final game with the 49ers, tight end Delanie Walker had three catches for 48 yards, threw a crushing block on Ravens safety Ed Reed on a touchdown run by Frank Gore and delivered a de-cleating hit on Jacoby Jones on a kickoff return in the Super Bowl.

Walker cashed in on his versatility today on the opening day of free agency when he signed a four-year deal with the Titans. In Tennessee, he will finally escape Vernon Davis’ considerable shadow and serve as the Titans’ No. 1 tight end. Tennessee is expected to lose tight end Jared Cook in free agency.

The deal was first reported by The Tennessean. ESPN reported the four-your deal was worth $17.5 million with $8.6 million guaranteed. In his first six seasons, Walker earned an average base salary of $502,500.

A sixth-round pick of the 49ers in 2006, Walker had a career-high 344 receiving yards in 2012 and matched a career-best with three touchdowns. Termed the team’s “Swiss Army Knife” by Jim Harbaugh, Walker had lined up at wide receiver, fullback, running back and right tackle over the past two seasons.

Walker had established a nice rapport with quarterback Colin Kaepernick. In Alex Smith’s nine starts, Walker had seven catches for 89 yards. In Kaepernick’s 10 starts (including playoffs), he had 19 catches for 335 yards, and Kaepernick had a 112.6 rating when targeting him.

With Walker in Tennessee, Davis and Garrett Celek are the only tight ends on San Francisco’s roster. Celek, an undrafted free agent from Michigan State, had four catches as a rookie in 2012.

The 49ers could find a replacement for Walker in the draft. A logical target is Stanford’s Zach Ertz, who played for Harbaugh in college. Stanford’s pro day is March 21.